Saturday, January 20, 2018

Don't I Know You?

I received a rather alarming wake-up call recently, and I'm sharing this as a cautionary tale: I was recognized by someone I don't know. And this isn't the first time.

I kind of look at this blog as an anonymous thing. I don't trumpet it except through Twitter and, more recently, on Instagram, though I keep that as a private account. If you follow me on Twitter or on Instagram, I have links back to the blog. But I don't advertise it on my personal Facebook account, where most "friends" know me already, in my "Clark Kent" guise. I guess I'm just a little self-conscious about letting those who know me best to see my public persona as a blogger. It allows me to be just a bit more free in my writing if I know my family doesn't read what I'm writing about. Especially since, sometimes, it's about them!

A few years ago, my church, Grace Community, held a big outdoor service "out on the lawn," I was recognized by a blog reader who goes to my church. He surprised me, in a good way, but it was the first time that had happened, and I was a little bit taken aback. I don't write this blog for any kind of adulation or attention. It's a personal thing for me. It started out as a way for me to journal, but I soon discovered that it would be a personal way for me to remember and post about my wife. I also found that I actually like to write, and I have a story to tell. Whether others wanted to read it was secondary, but I've been surprised, and just a little humbled, by how many actually do read it, though my time away over most of the past year lowered the readership substantially.

But this isn't about the blog. I was recognized for a completely different reason, and it caused me to think about this subject. A few months ago, my daughter and I were at the Bengies Drive-in, and we were recognized by one of the regular employees. In the past, we always took my little 2-seat Mazda to the theater, but, more recently, over the past several years, it has been easier to take our Jeep Wrangler, since it provides a lot more room and comfort to spread out, which is nice to have when you're over six feet tall. We were recognized by the employee because he remembered we usually are in the Mazda, though, and he asked me about it. I came away from that exchange feeling troubled.

I think of myself as a background kind of guy, with average looks and a "blend-into-the-woodwork" demeanor. My daughter and I are out and about quite a bit, and, again, I kind of assume that we're just an average twosome when we're in public, not standing out in any way. But I started to wonder what might cause us to stand out from the crowd. I don't know what it might be.

In today's age, where everyone seems to want their moment in the sun, and given how easy that is with social media, I feel it's better to not stand out. While that might sound funny from someone who writes a public blog, there are way too many crazy people out there. It's just too easy for others to find information about your private life, and that's kind of scary, too. When the boundary between those who actually know you is crossed by those who only know you from social media, it makes me a bit nervous, more so for my daughter's sake than my own. So I take some precautions.

But out in the real world, it's a little different. In the case of the incident at the Bengies, I'm not too overly concerned because the recognition was only in relation to the vehicles I drive. But it gives me pause, and I'm more cognizant of it now.

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Favorite Quotations

Matthew 16:23 - "But he turned and said to Peter, 'Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.'"

Isaiah 41:10 - "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

1 Peter 5:10 - "And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast."

1 Thessalonians 4:13 - "But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope."

Titus 2:7-8 - "In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us."

John 15:13 - "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."

Joshua 24:15 - "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

James 1:2-4 - "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

Philippians 4:8 - "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."

Luke 2:14 - "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."

"Don't judge a man by where he is, because you don't know how far he has come." - C.S. Lewis

"Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence." - George Washington

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." - Martin Luther King, Jr.

"We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them." - Albert Einstein

"You don't lead by hitting people over the head -- that's assault, not leadership." -- Dwight D. Eisenhower

"The future starts today, not tomorrow." -- Pope John Paul II

"No man is a failure who has friends." - Clarence the Angel, IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE

"Please watch out for each other and love and forgive everybody. It's a good life; enjoy it." - Jim Henson